FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT YUVRAJ SINGH - PAGE 5

NEW DELHI: Yuvraj Singh says the thought of not being able to play for India again has crossed his mind and added that it will be very depressing if he fails to make a comeback into the Indian cricket team. After successfully fighting the dreaded disease of cancer , Yuvraj made a brief return to the Indian team when he played Twenty20 matches, but he has been a pale shadow of himself on his comeback trail. He last played for India in a One-day match in December 2013.

BANGALORE: Flamboyant all-rounder Yuvraj Singh today emerged as the costliest cricketer in the IPL 8 players' auction, bought for a record Rs 16 crore ($2.57 million approx) by Delhi Daredevils here. Yuvraj, who carried a base price of Rs 2 crore, was sold for the highest ever price in IPL history after a fierce tug of war for his services between Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore , who bought him last year for Rs 14 crore, at a glitzy auction at a city hotel here.

MUMBAI: After rediscovering his form with a stroke-filled half century, Yuvraj Singh rued that his team Delhi Daredevils could not deliver the knock-out blow on the Mumbai Indians despite reducing the hosts to 40 for 4 and lost the crucial IPL cricket game. "We had them (reeling) at 40 for 4. We should have won the game from there, but we didn't pick up wickets," said Yuvraj at the post-match presser after MI won by five wickets with three balls to spare at the Wankhede Stadium here.

BANGALORE: Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh set a new record as he emerged as the costliest ever buy in the Indian Premier League by going for a whopping Rs 16 crore to Delhi Daredevils while an unheralded KC Cariappa was a surprise pick in the eighth players' auction here today. In a relatively low key auction, Yuvraj triggered an unexpected bidding war with four teams vying for the 33-year-old cricketer's services before Delhi clinched the deal for a record price. That Yuvraj, who had been bought for Rs 14 crore by Royal Challengers Bangalore last year, went for such a big price came as a huge surprise given the fact that he is no longer in the Indian team.

NADAUN: Out-of-favour Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh failed to make it count for Punjab as the Harbhajan Singh-led side lost to Haryana by 3 wickets in the Vijay Hazare one-day tournament at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium, here today. Put into bat, the much fancied Punjab rode Mandeep Singh's 86 to muster 252 for eight in 50 overs and Haryana achieved the target in 49.1 overs. Yuvraj stuck around for his 31-ball 23 but was finally stumped off spinner Jayant Yadav.

CHANDIGARH: Yuvraj Singh's father Yograj Singh on Monday lamented that his son's treatment was delayed a bit, and said a more cautious approach would have helped the cricketer who is suffering from a malignant tumor between his lungs. Yograj also profusely thanked the BCCI mandarins for stepping in at the right time which helped prevent further damage. He also said that the dashing left-hander had not taken seriously his advice to get himself medically checked two years back.

Vijay Mallya's Royal Challengers Bangalore coughed up Rs 14 crore for Yuvraj Singh , making him the most expensive player in IPL history, incidentally, on a day when Mallya's grounded Kingfisher Airlines reported a 3rd quarter loss of Rs 822 crore. However, the purchase was soon engulfed in controversy with Mallya lodging a formal complaint. Mallya said he had to pay Rs 4 crore extra for his prized catch, as the auctioneer allowed bidding after his last call of Rs 10 crore when Kolkata Knight Riders raised an objection.

NEW DELHI: Call it the IPL effect. Buying sports teams seems the new hep thing in the world of celebrities. If cricketer Yuvraj Singh is buying a motorsport team, Telugu film star Chiranjeevi's son Ramcharan Tej has bought a polo team, and Hindi superstar Salman Khan, Tamil star Suriya and Malayalam actor Mohanlal are all part of a new celebrity cricket league. The success of the Indian Premier League, where actors Shah Rukh Khan, Shilpa Shetty and Preity Zinta are among the team owners, may be the obvious trigger, but the stars are clearly looking beyond top-level cricket, partly because of heavy investment and lack of opportunities, and partly because of their interest in other sports.

These days, Yuvraj Singh can do no wrong. His batting, bowling, his jokes, even the unmistakeable swagger — almost everything's hitting the sweet spot. And with every passing match, and growing fan club, the born-again Yuvi is becoming some kind of an icon wrapped in mystery. Cut back to last year and Yuvraj was a picture in distress. Stricken by freak injuries, out of the Indian Test team and then the one-day squad, criticised for his attitude and ripped apart by critics, Yuvraj was a sad and lonely cricketer trying to come to terms with life.

Yuvraj Singh's determined knock failed to save the Twenty20 match against New Zealand, but it heralded his comeback from chemotherapy to stadium cheers. Yuvi now joins a league of heroes who scripted their own reversal of fortune while still at their prime. Brands riding on him: Puma, Investors Clinic, Birla Sun Life, Ulysse Nardin, Oakleys Each deal in the range of: Rs 2-4 crore I had tears in my eyes when we were fielding. Luckily, the cameras did not catch it- Yuvraj Singh The tenacity and patience Yuvraj has shown is outstanding.